The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus with a cartridge or cassette incorporating strip medium such as ink paper.
A method for loading ink paper onto a printer in which characters or images are to be printed with an ink applied paper has been well known in, for example, various printers or typewriters. In particular, a method for readily loading a wide ink paper onto a printer is known in JP-A-56/67278 in which a supply shaft for supplying the ink paper and a take-up shaft for winding up the ink paper are mounted on the cassette. During the printing operation, a pressure roller for superposing printing paper and the ink paper is connected to the supply shaft and take-up shaft within the cassette by a rotary connection means, thereby performing the feed of ink paper in response to the printing operation.
In accordance with the above-described prior art technique, if the cassette is inversely inserted into the thermal transfer recording apparatus, the cassette is inserted deeply into the apparatus so that a normal printing operation would not result. Also, if a cassette contains the particular ink paper such as super high sensitive ink paper that cannot be usually used in the ordinary thermal transfer recording apparatus, an improper printing would be carried out with an improper ink, resulting in an printing failure or a breakdown of the thermal transfer printing apparatus.